. . . somewhat problematic. I guess it may be analogous to the American Black Folks who owned slaves themselves in the 1800s (but they, at least, had to be "Free Men" BEFORE purchasing their racial equals). Blacks owning Blacks made Slavery "Fair and Balanced," according to the Southern Church Preachers back then. But Goofy owning Pluto (at least when Mickey Mouse was in jail)?! Werern't Goofy and Pluto BOTH dogs?! That one always threw me for a loop, and similar arrangements still do. The bulldog Marc Anthony adopts a kitten on the sly in FEED THE KITTY. Eventually Marc's human mistress tells her dog that he can keep this tiny cat as his pet, as long as he cleans up her litter box for the next 26 years. Unfortunately, that's about TWO CENTURIES in Dog Years! This means that Marc's newly assigned responsibilities won't work out, mathematically. Apparently, it will be up to Marc to find himself a mate, and to train their puppies to care for cats. This unrealistic expectation of multi-generational canine cat management is why it really helps if there is a Man of the House in an American Home, who can use his innate STEM skills to figure out the logistics of complicated matters, such as pets owning pets. Or to simply put his foot down, which probably would be the best option here.

Feed the Kitty (1952) **** (out of 4) Extremely cute Merrie Melodies short has a rough and tough bulldog falling for a small kitten so he takes it home and tries to hide it from his owner. This is a rather marvelous achievement for Jones as it's certainly one of his greatest films and it doesn't star any of his more familiar characters like Bugs or Daffy. This film has a little bit of everything from terrific laughs to non-stop sweetness to even some rather sad moments when the dog thinks that the kitten has been killed. All of the dialogue comes from the female owner and the vocal work is another reason the short works so well. The best sequence in the film for me is when the dog thinks the kitten is in the cookie dough about to be mixed up.

"Marc Anthony," the big, brutish-looking-but sensitive bulldog, has a new friend, a tiny little kitty who makes a "home" by sleeping on Anthony's back. The big dog takes a shine to the little one and then protects him as he gets, or seems to get, into domestic trouble.The homemaker in the house makes it clear early on to the dog that she doesn't want him bringing anything into the house. The dog thinks he has to hide the cat, but the little animal gets loose and gets into various predicaments. While trying to hide the identify of the cat or save him being being in the mix-master and being made into a cookie, the dog is always pestering the woman and getting admonished. I read somewhere where this cat was in subsequent cartoons and named "Pussyfoot." The beginnings of this animated short were both touching and very funny. Then, the one- joke story started to drag a bit until Marc Anthony thought the cat was killed a cried a river of tears, which actually was funny. (I've never a dog cry or sweat like this dog!) They even showed the poor dog's bloodshot eyes after his crying spell!Another very funny touch was when the dog came back in the house and was given a cookie by the woman. He thought it was the poor little cat-made into-a cookie and placed it on his back where Pussyfoot laid before. This is one sensitive, caring dog! The end of this is more of the same - more touching and sweet than humor - but it was nice to see.

Marc Antony the bulldog sees and barks ferociously at a tiny kitten who completely ignores his display of bravado, eventually winning him over. Marc Antony had been warned by the lady of the house to not bring a single thing home and when he shows up with he kitten on his back, a series of misunderstandings leads him to believe his little friend has been baked into a plate of cookies being made by his master. I had never forgotten about this wonderful little cartoon and had a wonderful moment with an ex girlfriend when we both remembered it after neither of us having seen it for decades. I agree with the previous reviewer...just an outstanding sweet little gem of animation.